Elwha River Dam Removal — Reconnecting 70+ Miles of Salmon Habitat and Restoring Sediment Flow (USA)
United States of America
Two century-old dams (32 m and 64 m) were removed in 2011–2014, reopening 70+ miles of habitat; salmon have recolonised …
Good practice
Imported
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Klamath River Dam Removal — Four Dams Removed, 360+ River Miles Reopened to Salmon (USA)
United States of America · Klamath, CA · See the United States of America profile
Top 40% 47/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice
Four Klamath dams were removed by 2024; Chinook now pass former dam sites and spawn in Upper Basin tributaries, with 360+ river miles accessible. Counts differ by source and Keno Dam still limits passage.
Details
- Promoter
- Klamath River Renewal Corporation / California Trout / Yurok, Karuk and Klamath Tribes
- Period
- 2024–ongoing
- Keywords
- dam removal, river restoration, salmon, water quality, tribal co-management
Description
Iron Gate, Copco, J.C. Boyle and Keno-related structures on the Klamath River in California and Oregon were removed in the largest dam removal in US history, completed in 2024 under a nonprofit set up for the purpose, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, following decades of tribal advocacy.
CalTrout-led monitoring with 19+ partners, including three federally recognised tribes, reports that 360+ river miles of the Upper Klamath Basin are newly accessible. In 2025 over 10,000 large fish passed the former Iron Gate site, about 30% more than in 2024, and spawning was documented in the Wood, Williamson and Sprague Rivers. Press reporting (Inside Climate News) cites more than 20,000 Chinook over two seasons.
Cautions: published counts differ by method and source, few steelhead were encountered in sampling, and Keno Dam's fish ladder does not meet federal and state passage standards, so recovery is incomplete and conditions remain challenging.
Read the full analysis: https://caltrout.org/what-we-do/projects/klamath-dams-removal/
Implementation
Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.
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Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
- C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-09-29
- Klamath River Renewal Corporation / California Trout / Yurok, Karuk and Klamath Tribes — accessed 2026-09-29
- CalTrout — One year after Klamath dam removal — accessed 2026-09-29
- Inside Climate News — 20,000 Salmon Return to the Klamath — accessed 2026-09-29
- NOAA Fisheries — Final step in Klamath dam removal — accessed 2026-09-29
Attachments
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